Final Post - Reflecting on a Semester Past

POL 100,

It has been a distinct pleasure getting to know all 58 of you over the course of this semester. In this final post, I want to provide you guys with some feedback and food for thought.

The goals that I set out for us to achieve at the beginning of the semester were simple: an improvement in reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Of course you were expected to gain a general overview of the discipline of political science, but these fundamental skills were the primary focus. Through multiple methods I tried to constantly and continuously reinforce these skills with you all over the course of the semester. Although I do believe that each of you has improved to some extent in each of these areas, the specific level of improvement has entirely been contingent upon on you.

In thinking back to the many controversies and issues we discussed in class and on this blog, I think one major takeaway has been how difficult it is to arrive at a consensus on any issue. A consensus is difficult to achieve and maintain, but is a part of the democratic process. Although Pakistan has a long way to go towards achieving democracy, I hope that you guys continue to take part in this democratic experiment.

There were a few hiccups along the way. A very small minority of students plagiarized. Other students turned in exams late. A significant number of students showed up late to class. All of these actions were a blight on an otherwise enjoyable class.

There were a lot of really great moments as well. The debate over the proper justice system in Pakistan was quite lively. Lunches with a number of you were always pleasant. Our trip to Wagah Border and the farewell dinner are memorable moments that I will definitely remember.

As many of you now head off for the summer to refuel and recharge, I wish you all the best in you future lives and academic endeavors. Below is some final data that may be of interest to you all. All data is current as of May 11, 2015:

• The first blog post was posted by me on January 30, 2015. 
• Our blog essentially lasted 3-months.
• Out of the 1,128 posts, 47 were done by me. The majority of those posts were referrals to interesting news items.
• You all posted 1,081 blog posts. 
• The required number of posts per student was 20. The actual average was 18.6 posts per student.

Session 25 - A Tragedy Indeed.

So i wanted to give my response on the notion of the “Tragedy of the Commons”. Although i do not consider myself a pessimist but in this case i believe there exists but no other option. One thing that has been absolutely engraved into my mind as a result of taking Intro to Political Science is the realist notion of the world. Everyone and everybody is inherently self interested. This tragedy will continue to prevail so long as the people of the earth act upon self interest. What self interest though? We won’t really care until it directly affects us. The world is still enjoying the availability of all resources and living in our cocoons as we tend to do, we choose to ignore the inevitability of the long term effects of the decisions that favour our short term ones. 

People choose to smoke because of the short term pleasure, comfort and stress relief associated with the act and therefore discard the statistics, facts and the negative effects of the long term because as of yet they , a part of what makes up those statistics and facts. As with the tragedy of the commons, our self interested nature amplifies our delusions of the long term. As long as we live choose the short term over the long term, i believe we will always be headed down the path of the said tragedy. 

Tragedy of the commons.

The tragedy of the commons is a circumstance where there is over consumption of a specific item/ service in light of the fact that normal individual choices lead to a result that is harming to the general social welfare.

The tragedy of the commons hypothesis expect that when deciding, individuals make the course of move that boosts their own particular utility. Be that as it may, if numerous individuals look to do this, the net impact may be to exhaust an asset exacerbating everybody off over the long haul.

The tragedy of the commons was initially seen in a range of common grazing area. Villagers all took their cows to this regular eating area, however this prompted overgrazing and a loss of the asset.

A more advanced sample is that of over-fishing. Singular angler have an impetus to catch as many fish as could be possible. Be that as it may, if numerous angler have this same rationale, then it can prompt fish stocks being exhausted as fish are gotten at a quicker rate than they are renewed.

Last Blog

Being a Management student, I had absolutely no idea about what pol sci even encompassed. I had every conviction that this course would be one of those feared ones where you just sit through class, your head crouched, counting the seconds and avoiding eye contact with the teacher just so he wouldn't ask you a question you couldn't answer. Or one in which you just marvel at how terribly boring someone can get. But well, things turned out different. And not just different, very very different. This wasn't a course, it was an experience. I am sure that even if it was primordial history, this class would have been fun. I mean, we did of course learn about Pol Sci, but we learnt something grander. We learned how to think. How to not take anything for given. How to revisit every belief we hold. How to look at the world from an eye unaware of bias and preset notions. And in that, we learned how things really work. In that, we learned about ourselves. About people. And that is the greatest lesson we could learn.
Also, as much as Sir Naush has treated us with his energetic voice and radical perspectives, this class couldn't have been near as fun as it was if it weren't for each and every student. Everyone was so engaging and interactive. Thank you all for being so wonderful. And thank you all for teaching me about life.
Finally, I was thanking Sir Naush for giving us an experience we would have never expected here at LUMS. But also  NOT thanking him for this experience, because we will find none like this here, and every will land below our high expectations now. 

Last Blog!

I am very happy when writing this blog. I did not know the semester would pass so fast. We learnt so much from this semester. This course increase our political awareness which will helpful in coming life. Sir has  been given us knowledge about political ideologies and systems of government. which will give us better understanding of our system, laws and policies of government. Specially, Sir method will never forget. His style of comparative studies gave us chance to study all aspects of incident or any theory.
    I am also glad to say that Sir Nasuherwan was blessing for all of us. He has try to change our radical theories and extreme point of views that may harm us in future. 

Final Blog- Pol 100

The reason I switched my major and the reason for taking Pol 100 was solely based on my infatuation with a political science instructor I took a course with last semester. Unfortunately and fortunately she left and Sir Nausherwan Hafeez(NH) was given this section. 

As this course comes to an end I would like to repeat, if I have not often done this enough, that this truly was a blessing in disguise. NH is a teacher who brings new methods of teaching to the classroom, unique and new perspectives to light and a very humbling and active class experience. Taking this course with him made me realize that political science is a very diverse, encompassing and rich subject which needs to be studied for itself and not because of influence from a single personality. 

Moreover, I have noticed that this class and weekly blog submissions helped me question, challenge and reevaluate the indoctrinated principles I have been taught and force-fed by family, friends and media. For instance, I had always been taught and consequently had the image of Pakistani army soldiers in the 1970 war between West and East Pakistan as brave, determined, just and patriotic. The literature and stories of the systematic genocide and organised rape had never crossed me before and it is baffling and saddening to come to terms with myriad war crimes. The martyrs and war soldiers were decorated with titles, rewards and honors with no accountability of humanitarian crimes they committed. This is a classic case of preaching nationalism. 

All in all I am glad I had this opportunity. I just feel bad for the freshmen who had an amazing teacher in their first year and who unfortunately is here for only a semester; they will be hoping for a similar experience but that might just be impossible. 

Last Blog: Changes This Class Brought in Me

I took this course because I had to, in order be able to complete my POL cores by the end of this semester. I had no concern which instructor I will get as I did not really care, I knew POL can never be my thing. I just had NO interest in it. As I got notified that my instructor is being changed to a visiting faculty I was a bit more hopeful. Guessing from my past experience of studying from a visiting faculty I knew these people have a teaching style which students like me need. A style which not only develops interest in the course but also makes you want to attend classes.

As with the timeline of the course I started watching news with more curiosity, first difference. I was more interested in something I watched only to keep myself updated about topics which hosted heated discussion among my common peers. I started listening to these political discussions and started pitching in my input as well.

I realized that a teacher can actually make you doubt what you want to do I life. A teacher can make you think of careers you thought you will never take and make you a person you never thought you will be.

As I am getting done with this course and soon will say goodbyes to Sir Nausherwan Hafeez, one thing I can never thank him enough for will be that he made me develop my interest in this field of study, as I have an unintended major of Econ & Pol, I always worried about how will I pass through all the fatal PolSci courses, but now I’m very hopeful.

Final Blog Post – What POL100 Brought To The Table of Intellect.

POL 100 has been unarguably the most enlightening experience I have had in my two years at LUMS. The reason: it has been atypical. Unlike most other courses at LUMS, it offered a chance to interact with knowledge instead of periodic preparation of certain parts of the reading material. It has been an experience wherein knowledge was absorbed, processed, contextualized and created. Unlike most other facilitators, POL100’s spearhead, Nausherwan Hafeez, has played the role of an educator instead of a mere instructor; he has been a teacher instead of a tutor. This course provided, and sometimes forcefully ensured, an interaction with uncomfortable ideas. Most importantly, it provided a classroom brimming with energy and a knowledge space whose stakeholders were engrossed in its ownership. The students in this course have been sincerely committed to knowledge in addition to the security of a letter grade. All this has collectively made POL100 my most valuable and treasured academic experience at LUMS so far and my most intellectually exciting endeavor in a society where ideas are considered either irrelevant, dangerous or reserved for people beyond their youth. For that I am grateful to everybody who has been a small yet significant part of creating this dynamic that has honestly led to a development of my ability to process stimuli and understand complexity. 

Session 24: Tragedy of The Un-Commons.

Globally, it is witnessed that there is a large segment of the world’s population that, due to inaccessibility to education and exposure, remains bereft of attaining their potential. That is established in fact and, to a certain extent, accepted as an unchanging truth of global disparities. Individuals, due to insufficient exposure to ideas and under par development of critical thinking abilities, are severely challenged in processing complex stimuli and reaching meaningful conclusions that add to, or make sense of, the discourse around them. However, that is not the real tragedy.

The real tragedy of our country, Pakistan, is quite different, and significantly more depressing. Individuals who have access to such opportunities and do not suffer from a lack of resources that inhibit their ability to attain above mentioned skills fail to make use of these opportunities. That is the real tragedy. The tragedy of the uncommons. Families with access to education fail to inculcate a culture that utilizes it. Individuals that do undergo the education process fail to make use of it due to their laziness. We are a country plagued by unreasonable dogma. A country that views the world and its issues in binaries. We are a country where even the uncommons possess an inability to decode complex stimuli to reach meaningful and complex conclusions, not because of a lack of intelligence but because of an inability to commit themselves to the challenge.

That is the tragedy of the uncommons that is so much more discomforting than the inability of those without these resources or opportunities to meet the same objectives. 

- A Reflection.

There is prevalent discourse, especially amongst educated liberal circles, regarding the greater role women must be granted in society through involvement in extra-household activities. I don’t intend on debating that view; rather, I will seek to address one of its implications in this piece. The side of the argument that calls for a greater role of the female population in business, social activism and politics often carries a tendency to condescend upon women who choose not to, or on families who make a different collective choice for their women. I have observed in multiple conversations notions where ‘home-makers’ are viewed as weak, lacking ambition and playing no positive role in the progress of their nation/people. This is far from the truth. The degree to which an individual chooses to exert themselves in and beyond their family and the priorities they choose to structure their life around are a choice that must not be judged, even if for its lack of liberty. Furthermore, it must be recognized that when an individual chooses to whole heartedly dedicate their life to their household and the upbringing of their children, all it does is elevate their status and their contribution to society. They are then the means through which the direction of the next generation of society is determined. The values a nation has is the result of the priorities of its mothers of thirty years ago. That is in no way a job that deserves any less respect or value than a female corporate executive, lawyer, activist or politician. 

Last blog : Sectarian conflict in Pakistan.

 This contention has been pervasive among the two organizations Shia and Sunni principally. It is concur that these outfits have been made in response to treachery of the primitive framework principally in lower Punjab and other such territories, where this medieval framework has its slant toward Ahl-e-Tashee organization (Shia). In response to this foul play and illegitimate utilization of force against the lower class activist associations have risen to oppose the dominion of unduly overwhelming factions of the adversary bunch. The savage responses by both groups against one another however have additionally been condemned as socially ruinous.

Communal-ism, religious intolerance and the sectarian violence are scourge of any general public and offensive to the teachings of Islam. The word Islam implies peace and amicability and prohibits bias and religious obsession. It shows liberality and resistance even to the devotees of alternate religions.

Lamentably, Pakistan has never possessed the capacity to manufacture a genuine country. Thus the vast majority of the individuals who took more prominent pride in their ethnicity as opposed to national personality now see themselves as fitting in with a faction before being a Pakistani and have no doubts about disguising the sectarian clashes on show somewhere else on the planet.

Last Blog-THis course-pol 100

This course offered introduction to the concepts, terms, theories, and methods used in the discipline of political science. Being an economics major, I did not know much about all the political science concepts but this course allowed me to understand these concepts in a very interesting manner that now I am able to apply these concepts to the international news I may come across.

It has helped me to express my views by linking them to different theoretical concepts. I enjoyed writing blogs though we had to write them before every class. Also I am enjoying the last bit of work we have to do in this course that is writing the final paper, because I like the topic I have chosen as it links my major to this course.

Session 24 - An Idea

I still remember that day when I was unable to find myself a suitable course for the spring semester because the enrollment had ended for all the other courses that I intended to take. Frustrated and worried by the scenario, I was sitting at the famous qhoka when one of my friend, who is a soph, asked me to take Pol Science. Though I did not like the term pol science but I searched for it anyways and took the course.

My first class turned out to be way beyond my expectations. It was awesome. I liked Sir. Nausherwan's teaching style, and since he seemed sharp and friendly, I for the first time felt comfortable in discussing political issues with someone. With time, my interest grew, and I started to think over the political concepts and ideologies that we were taught in class. We talked and debated about different Ideas (which are contagious :p), like freedom of speech. We talked about the dynamics of power, the many 'ism's', the Great U.N, and what not? We also talked about the many atrocities existent around us; like the situation in Yemen, also did we shed some light upon the unjust killing of Sabeen Mahmood. To this, I am grateful to Sir. Nausherwan.

The one thing I would like to add over here is that we have so far discussed many ideas and ridiculed many atrocities. But that's all we did. We did not come up solutions to most of the issues discussed, and I think we cannot. But this attitude of ours eats me up because one day it might be one of us who will become a prey to such cruelty. Therefore we need to get out of our bubbles and do something about Sabeen Mahmood. I am not implying to openly protest and be killed, but we must at the very least, enlighten others..

Last post - For the likes of Sabeen

She may be looking at us mourning, with her restless soul wishing for one more chance to do something that was left to be done, to fulfill one more purpose, to initiate the little change that might cause the fire of awareness to spread. While Sabeen Mehmud may be doing just this, I hope that resting in power, she remains aware of the fact that while people die when killed, ideas rise when suppressed. 

And we stand together, united not on the grounds of political or religious reasons, but on one common factor, Hope. It is the hope, that the likes of Sabeen existing in our society will not be afraid to break the unjust shackles which we are bounded by, which allows us to believe in the existence of a future which proves that the efforts and sacrifices of people like Sabeen Mehmud did not go to waste. 

Seldom does one get the opportunity to rid oneself from constant suffering. Revolutions are rare, but they do come, bit  by bit, eventually leading to a storm of repressed emotions finally unleashed. What is hoped is that we consider these bits important enough to stir in our conscience a wave of realization. 

And if today we fail to realize what our society has lost, we might never get to see the dawn of a day where we do realize it. If today we side with those who believe in silencing the cries of those suffering, soon we shall either become one of the sufferers or the ones silencing them. 

Last Blog Post ; Bittersweet times

As this semester draws to a close and with it Sir Nausherwan's tenure at Lums , we can all safely say that this class was one of the most memorable experiences Period. From day one Sir’s enthusiasm was contagious and his unconventional approach to teaching was something that will stay with us forever. 

Sadly the recent events which have greatly reduced the scope of freedom of expression in this country have soured the atmosphere. With every passing day it is becoming increasingly hard to maintain hope and optimism about the future of this  country. 

The space for liberal thought is slowly and systematically shrinking in this country and we are but powerless onlookers. The military has had a very dubious role in Pakistan’s history and it continues to nurture that legacy. After the death Sabeen, we could see a lot of emotional rhetoric about how the establishment cannot silence us and how we will continue Sabeen’s mission. 

Well sorry to break it to you but the establishment has silenced us and it has been doing it for most of our history. So unless radical change occurs we are condemned to the gallows. 

The state that was supposed to be the bastion of liberal values is slowly sinking into oblivion and we can only stand and stare! 

Session 24 - Self Interest.

I believe one of the biggest reasons as to why international conflict is a recurring element in the world of today is due to the existence of uncountable national identities. National identities are comprised of a culture, a history, a language, religion etc. Today the world is not in a state of nature. People depend on one another for their survival. Countries depend on each other for trade, for economic survival and what not. The world is undoubtedly globalized and in a globalized world, interaction and communication is necessary and essential. This i believe provides a reason for an identity to show its superiority. 

Liberal nationalism argues for self determination of a nation and a right for other nations to do so aswell but that i believe is not possible because of the existence of realism. I believe it is rightly referred to as realism as the world itself suggest that suggests a notion of “reality” to it. That in “reality” a nation will always choose itself over another and its interests will only show to be altruistic if implicitly there is much to gain. China’s 40+bn deal with Pakistan does seem to give us the better end of the stick but what do we know about Chinese self interests. You invest for a return and you do not invest altruistically. 

Last blog

After the killing of Sabeen Mahmud, a social rights activit, the role of intelligence agencies has again become a hot topic for debate. Immediately after her death, sections of the society began to point figures at the ISI, accusing the agency for her death. What is surprising is that these accusations have been made without an iota of evidence, people accusing the agency also fail to take into account the current law and order situation in Karachi. The metropolis is home to a variety of armed gangs, from militant wings of political parties to the Taliban. Anyone of these groups could have been involved in her murder, but this is hardly taken into account. It is also relevant to mention that her killing took place in the wake of military operations in Karachi and North Waziristan, any group being targeted in these operations could have had a hand in Sabeen Mahmuds killing in order to divert the attention of the media and discredit the agencies.  

Last Blog : Clash of the Titans

One of the most intensely debated topics over the past three weeks, one that everyone in LUMS has heard about; why did the ISI cancel Mama Qadeers talk and violate LUMS's right to freedom of expression? Not only is this issue incredibly complex, it is also excessively controversial. I'll start by pointing out that I'm not defending what the ISI did, I believe it was wrong, but I also believe it  was somewhat justifiable.

I've heard the words 'freedom of speech' one too many times over the past few days, protesters are constantly chanting about their constitutional right to freedom of speech, half of which have not even seen let alone read the constitution. The constitution does, in fact, safeguard an individuals right to freedom of speech with the state withholding a right to impose restrictions in case the "integrity, security or defense" of the state and its institutions is harmed. Now one might question, how are we to determine whether the integrity of Pakistan would get damaged in light of the talk. Just a brief examination of the panel put together for the talk concludes that the discussion was indeed going to portray a point of view intensely biased against the Army, one of the most prestigious institutions of the state of Pakistan. If you're harming the integrity of a state institution, you're harming the integrity of the state, and so it can be argued that authorities had the constitutional right to cancel the talk. A better way to go about it could have been inviting a more diverse panel with conflicting points of view to provide for a more intellectually stimulating debate. 

Secondly, freedom of speech shouldn't  have double standards. LUMS has consistently gone on and on about the ISI banning the discussion, it has plastered social media, campus news and campusmail with posts and articles  aimed directly at state agencies for censoring any point of view that is not coherent with their own. But not only was calling a biased panel and not letting the other party present its view a form of censorship in itself, it bought me no surprise that there was nothing but a single paragraph long 'apology' by LUMS when it cancelled Asad Umars talk last semester. Their justification was that they want to refrain from engaging in politics and did not want to represent one single view to their students, I don't see how Mama Qadeer's talk was any different though. People argue that the talk was going to be about the army, basically against the army, but was not going to be political. But isn't that what is conveyed in almost every Political Science and Pakistan Studies lecture in LUMS, the army's ever-increasing role in Pakistan's political sphere? Therefore, I think LUMS is being a little hypocritical in this situation. 

I want to talk about the controversy regarding Mama Qadeer and his sons identity and their alleged affiliations with terrorist organisations and them being agents of RAW and/or the CIA and all the other narratives going about, but this is getting a little long and that is an even more controversial debate, so I'm going to conclude by saying every relationship is a two way sweet. You cannot expect other individuals to do what you do not do yourself, and since Lums has cancelled various talks in the past providing baseless justifications, they do not have the right to point fingers at the ISI.

While LUMS hides behind walls, more brave institutions such as T2F come out and explicitly voice their opinions and their beliefs. The founder paid her life for it, not only that but also put her mother in jepordy, but isn't that the point, to even die for what you believe in? It adds all the more weight to her message, and this just goes back to the social contract theory; would we even know of Socrates today had he not sacrificed himself for what he believed in? With that said, I believe intellectual freedom died with Sabeen Mahmud, it died Imtiaz Ali and Muhammad Raza, it dies every day we do not speak for what we believe in. 

The Last Blog: Acknowledging Atrocities of the Past

The subject which I’ll talk about in my last blog post is the need to acknowledge atrocities of the past, no matter how hard it may seem. The mass genocide in Bangladesh, committed by the Pakistani army, is a matter which has also been emphasized in other courses I have this semester. The first time it was mulled over was in my Pakistan Studies class, and needless to say, it was something  I found extremely hard to wrap my head around. The words of Beauty’s mother were even read out in that class, and it was appalling to learn the extent of deception exercised in order to hide these facts from the people of Pakistan.

What’s essential to learn from this is that one can never feel satisfied at the extent to which one has learnt the truth. History is seldom ever provided to us in an unbiased manner.  So the most we can do is not give up our attempts at learning, and not restrict ourselves to the perspectives of a given end. Also important is the fact that though we can’t be expected to remain deeply saddened about the fact that atrocities have been committed by various people, we need to acknowledge them, analyze why exactly they do occur, and also understand the measures required to never repeat them. The people of Bangladesh have clearly never received an apology from our end, and it’s is just this which represents a manner of thinking that still needs help. I feel like the concept of nationalism would help one to understand why it is that this information is hardly ever shown to us. When we want to comment on the atrocities committed by the Indians during partition, we never fail to go on a rant, but the atrocities committed by our very people, are matters we can’t deem important enough to talk about.

Session 24: Pakistan's Enemy

Media; perhaps the only enemy Pakistan cannot defeat with the threat of nuking. Pakistan is a culturally rich state, drowning in nationalism, but attacked by the media. Call me an optimist, but despite the never ending adversities Pakistan has been through, there will come a time when Pakistan will be a proud prosperous state. The only way, however, it can become its long awaited esteemed self is by altering the way the media portrays Pakistan. 

Be it the Pakistani media, or the international one; Pakistan is represented by its unfortunate natural disasters, territorial conflicts, failed government representations, and terrorism; Pakistan needs not a pity party, but an awakening and recognition of its potential. This can only be achieved through the media; which never seems to be optimistic about Pakistan's conditions, taking away any hope that its nationalists have of it. This can be explained through the The "Magic Bullet" theory; which graphically assumes that the media's message is a bullet fired from the "media gun" into the viewer's "head". It suggests that the media injects its messages straight into the passive audience. This passive audience is immediately affected by these messages. The public essentially cannot escape from the media's influence, and is therefore considered a "sitting duck". Models suggest that the public is vulnerable to the messages shot at them because of the limited communication tools and the studies of the media's effects on the masses at the time. It means the media explores information in such a way that it injects in the mind of audiences as bullets.

This theory accurately represents the state of the Pakistani optimism throughout the world. Whatever the media tells the people, they believe, and rather allow it to become their reality. What needs to be done is that the people of Pakistan need to understand this, and change it. Once the influence of the media is demolished and rather replaced by a more positive portrayal, Pakistan will flourish into the state that it was always destined to become.